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09/13 18:25 CDT Alexander Zverev beats Ben Shelton to win the US Open title and
extend a drought by American men
Alexander Zverev beats Ben Shelton to win the US Open title and extend a
drought by American men
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Alexander Zverev's best year in tennis goes on, and so does
that lengthy Grand Slam drought for American men.
Zverev won his second major championship and disappointed a crowd that was
desperate to see the first Grand Slam title by an American man since 2003,
beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday in the U.S. Open final.
Zverev finally broke through in the majors by winning this year's French Open
and followed up by adding the title in New York that he so painfully let slip
away in 2020.
The No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam for the first time, he capitalized on Shelton's
shaky start in his first major final, played a nearly flawless tiebreaker on
serve and then turned back a comeback attempt in front of a crowd that
feverishly cheered Shelton on --- including girlfriend Trinity Rodman, who made
it from her own soccer match in Washington before the finish.
"I know today 99.9% of the people wanted Ben to win, so I'm very sorry first of
all," Zverev said during the trophy presentation. "But second, it was an
incredible atmosphere to play in. Even though I know that the crowd was against
me, the crowd was always incredibly fair."
Shelton was trying to win the first title by an American man since Andy Roddick
won in Flushing Meadows in 2003, as well as become the first Black player to
win the men's crown since Arthur Ashe in 1968.
But Zverev was too good in majors this year and apparently didn't even know how
good he was. He finished the match on his serve but didn't seem to realize it,
dropping back behind the baseline as if set to return. Only a few moments later
did he figure out he had won, raising his arms in celebration.
"You're one of the very best players in the world, maybe the best player in the
world this year," Shelton told Zverev.
Zverev was the best player in the biggest events this year Zverev improved to 25-2 in major matches this year and won $5.5 million, matching the prize earned by women's champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday as the largest in Grand Slam history. He thought this title would come in 2020 and still acknowledges it should have. He won the first two sets against Dominic Thiem and got within two points of victory before becoming the first man to blow a two-set lead and lose in the final since 1949. Whatever ghosts were left from then are long gone now. Zverev also reached the final at Wimbledon, falling to Jannik Sinner, and became the No. 1 seed in New York when the top-ranked Sinner had to withdraw with a knee injury. He made the most of opportunities that came when Carlos Alcaraz had to sit out two majors and Sinner missed another, after they played in three straight Grand Slam finals in 2025. "I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through and I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before," Zverev said, addressing his team. Shelton had already eliminated the defending champion when he beat No. 2 seed Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in U.S. Open history. But he fell short on Sunday in his attempt to become the first man to beat the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds en route to the U.S. Open title since 1975. The No. 8 seed fell to 0-6 against Zverev, winning a set Sunday for only the second time. The 23-year-old Shelton figures to get more chances, but Americans who have grown tired of waiting to celebrate a men's title wanted it now.
Shelton's early struggles and Zverev's style limit the crowd early Fans stood and screamed when Shelton emerged from the tunnel before the match, but he didn't give them any reason to keep the cheers going once play began. Serving first, he lost the opening two points and then eventually handed the game to Zverev with a double-fault. Zverev maintained that lead the rest of the set, which ended on another double-fault by Shelton. Zverev's deliberate playing style helped limit the crowd's effectiveness. Fans are expected to quiet down as a player is preparing to serve and stay quiet until the ensuing point has completed. Zverev bounces the ball a number of times --- sometimes around 10, maybe a dozen, others nearly 20, insisting there is no set pattern or plan --- before he begins his toss, so it guarantees lengthy stretches of silence. Fans tried to get around that by occasionally cheering when he missed a first serve --- another tennis no-no that the chair umpire scolded them for --- but Zverev, who said before the match he enjoyed hostile crowds, did not seem affected. Then, with fans chanting "USA! USA!" Zverev turned back Shelton's chance to even the match in the tiebreaker. Shelton returned Zverev's opening serve long, was beaten by a superb passing shot and then came up on the wrong end of a 16-shot rally as Zverev went up 3-0. Zverev then hit serves of 147 mph and 124 mph that Shelton couldn't get back in play. Shelton cut it to 5-2 and then got a return in play for the only time, but Zverev won the point and then hit another serve at 139 mph to close it out. Shelton kept fighting, at one point diving in an attempt to get a volley back, resting his head on his hands when he couldn't and then banging his hand to the court. He picked himself back up and finally broke Zverev for the only time to win the third set. But with Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and number of their teammates in attendance, Shelton couldn't pull off a championship comeback like those New York Knicks did in June. He was broken to begin the fourth, the second time in the match he dropped his opening service game, forcing him to play from behind again. ___ See AP's full tennis coverage here
Zverev was the best player in the biggest events this year Zverev improved to 25-2 in major matches this year and won $5.5 million, matching the prize earned by women's champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday as the largest in Grand Slam history. He thought this title would come in 2020 and still acknowledges it should have. He won the first two sets against Dominic Thiem and got within two points of victory before becoming the first man to blow a two-set lead and lose in the final since 1949. Whatever ghosts were left from then are long gone now. Zverev also reached the final at Wimbledon, falling to Jannik Sinner, and became the No. 1 seed in New York when the top-ranked Sinner had to withdraw with a knee injury. He made the most of opportunities that came when Carlos Alcaraz had to sit out two majors and Sinner missed another, after they played in three straight Grand Slam finals in 2025. "I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through and I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before," Zverev said, addressing his team. Shelton had already eliminated the defending champion when he beat No. 2 seed Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in U.S. Open history. But he fell short on Sunday in his attempt to become the first man to beat the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds en route to the U.S. Open title since 1975. The No. 8 seed fell to 0-6 against Zverev, winning a set Sunday for only the second time. The 23-year-old Shelton figures to get more chances, but Americans who have grown tired of waiting to celebrate a men's title wanted it now.
Shelton's early struggles and Zverev's style limit the crowd early Fans stood and screamed when Shelton emerged from the tunnel before the match, but he didn't give them any reason to keep the cheers going once play began. Serving first, he lost the opening two points and then eventually handed the game to Zverev with a double-fault. Zverev maintained that lead the rest of the set, which ended on another double-fault by Shelton. Zverev's deliberate playing style helped limit the crowd's effectiveness. Fans are expected to quiet down as a player is preparing to serve and stay quiet until the ensuing point has completed. Zverev bounces the ball a number of times --- sometimes around 10, maybe a dozen, others nearly 20, insisting there is no set pattern or plan --- before he begins his toss, so it guarantees lengthy stretches of silence. Fans tried to get around that by occasionally cheering when he missed a first serve --- another tennis no-no that the chair umpire scolded them for --- but Zverev, who said before the match he enjoyed hostile crowds, did not seem affected. Then, with fans chanting "USA! USA!" Zverev turned back Shelton's chance to even the match in the tiebreaker. Shelton returned Zverev's opening serve long, was beaten by a superb passing shot and then came up on the wrong end of a 16-shot rally as Zverev went up 3-0. Zverev then hit serves of 147 mph and 124 mph that Shelton couldn't get back in play. Shelton cut it to 5-2 and then got a return in play for the only time, but Zverev won the point and then hit another serve at 139 mph to close it out. Shelton kept fighting, at one point diving in an attempt to get a volley back, resting his head on his hands when he couldn't and then banging his hand to the court. He picked himself back up and finally broke Zverev for the only time to win the third set. But with Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and number of their teammates in attendance, Shelton couldn't pull off a championship comeback like those New York Knicks did in June. He was broken to begin the fourth, the second time in the match he dropped his opening service game, forcing him to play from behind again. ___ See AP's full tennis coverage here
